Drawer Locking Mechanism for Motor Vehicles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing drawer locking mechanisms for motor vehicle interior fittings are insufficiently robust and prone to deformation under heavy loads, leading to accidental opening and failure, especially during vehicle movement, and are not suitable for withstanding vibrations and impacts.
Innovation Solution
A drawer with a locking mechanism featuring a pair of locking teeth and hooking elements that rotate on a plane parallel to the bottom, combined with a driving lever mechanism and elastic means, allowing for easy and robust operation, and a stiffening section to prevent deformation, enabling secure closure and opening from the outside.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional locking mechanism with a tilting bar is used, then the drawer can be locked and unlocked, but the tilting bar deforms under heavy loads causing the mechanism to fail
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional locking approach by using a locking bar that moves perpendicular to the drawer bottom rather than parallel to it. This inversion allows the locking bar to engage with locking teeth in a manner that distributes mechanical stress more effectively, preventing the deformation that plagues traditional tilting bar mechanisms under heavy loads.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking bar is positioned and moves in a different dimensional orientation compared to conventional mechanisms. Instead of rotating within the plane of the drawer bottom, the locking bar moves perpendicular to it, engaging locking teeth that extend upward from the bottom surface. This dimensional change creates a more robust engagement geometry that resists deformation.
2Strength
If the locking mechanism is made more robust to withstand heavy loads, then the resistance to deformation improves, but the complexity of the mechanism increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple functions into the locking bar component: it serves as both the locking element and the actuating element. The locking bar integrates the functions of engagement, disengagement, and force transmission that would traditionally require separate components, thereby achieving robustness without proportionally increasing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking bar is designed as a multi-functional element that performs locking, unlocking, and structural support functions. This universal component approach reduces the number of specialized parts needed, maintaining simplicity while achieving the required strength and reliability under heavy loads.
3Reliability
If the locking elements are positioned to engage locking teeth, then secure locking is achieved, but the mechanism becomes sensitive to vibrations and impacts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite construction in the locking mechanism, combining rigid locking teeth with the resilient locking bar. This composite approach allows the system to maintain firm engagement while absorbing vibrations and impacts through the flexible properties of the locking bar material, reducing sensitivity to harmful mechanical factors.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking mechanism is designed with inherent cushioning characteristics through the locking bar's material properties and geometric configuration. This beforehand cushioning allows the mechanism to withstand vibrations and impacts that occur during vehicle movement, preventing premature disengagement or damage to the locking components.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The mechanism provides enhanced resistance to incorrect use and vibrations, ensuring reliable operation even under heavy loads, with a robust and efficient design that balances forces and prevents accidental opening, while being easy and economical to produce.
Implementation Method 1
The mechanism comprises elastic means, in particular two springs, which act on the locking bar so as to maintain it in a position corresponding to the locking position of the hooks
Implementation Method 2
The lever mechanism comprises a driving bar (25), movable in a longitudinal direction in relation to the drawer, and two connecting rods (26, 27), each hinged at the two ends to one of the hooks (21, 22) and to the driving bar (25). The connecting rods (26, 27) transform the longitudinal translatory movement of the bar (25) into a rotatory movement of the hooks (21, 22).
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The invention relates to a drawer with locking mechanism on closing, in particular for drawer units destined for interior fittings of motor vehicles, comprising a load-bearing structure 2 with bottom and two opposite lateral wings 4; two slide guides 5; a locking mechanism positioned under the bottom 3, comprising a pair of locking teeth 11, 12, joined to the guides 5 and a pair of hooking elements 21, 22, joined to the load-bearing structure and movable between a locking position, in which they engage the teeth, and a release position, in which they are disengaged from the teeth. The two hooking elements are composed of two hooks connected to the load-bearing structure 2 to rotate on a plane parallel to the bottom 3. The mechanism comprises elastic means 23, 24 able to hold the hooks in the locking position and a lever mechanism which can be commanded from outside the drawer 1 to move the hooks. The lever mechanism comprises two connecting rods connected to the hooks and a bar connected to the connecting rods which can be moved from outside the drawer. [Fig. 7]